Going Nowhere
Boxes.
Boxes everywhere.
Looking around wildly, I groaned, dreading what was coming next. My muscles were tense, the small space of the box I was trapped in doing nothing to alleviate it. Rolling my shoulder, I struggled to stretch out my cramping limbs in the small space, pushing against the box with all my might.
Frustration rose in me. “come on! Just… break already!” I hissed through clenched teeth, though I knew it wouldn’t. Unable to move, panic quickly set in, hot tears trailing down my face as I screamed for air, desperate to escape. I buried my head in my arms, weeping.
I heard whispers around me, escalating rapidly into jeering voices. “Ha! Look at this one. Pathetic,” crowed the loudest, “don’t you worry sweetheart, we’ll make you normal again.”
Whimpering, I covered my ears in a vain effort to block them out. “It’s not real,” I muttered to myself, “This never happened. Don’t listen, it’ll be over soon.” Raising my head, I glanced around the small box, hoping without hope that an exit would appear.
The voices simply laughed at my efforts to shrug them off, “Is this not real enough for you? It’s more real than those garbage books you read.” Chackling, the voices materialized into shadowy figures, standing over my box like a troop of grim reapers.
“Luz!” They cried.
“Luuuz!”
“LUZ!”
I woke with a yelp, falling out of bed with a loud thunk. I looked around in confusion, remembering after a second that I was home, and the summer camp was long in the past. Groaning, I hit my head back against the floor, taking a second to recover before standing up shakily and making my way towards the door.
“Mija? Are you alright?” Mom’s concerned voice floated down the hall.
Opening the door, I called back, “Yeah, I’m fine! Just fell out of bed.” I walked out towards the kitchen, the nightmare fading from my mind. Walking through the entryway, I smiled at her before hopping up on the counter. “Do you need to go into work today?”
She shook her head. “Not until tonight, I’m on night shift.”
Nodding, I twisted around and opened the cabinet beside me, grabbing a granola bar. I jumped down, shoved it in my pocket, and made my way to the front door, throwing on a pair of shoes. “I’m going out for a walk Mami!” I said, opening the door.
“Luz, wait!”
I looked back at her, raising my eyebrows in question.
“Once you get back, I want you to start looking for a job. You can’t just stay in the house all day, Mija.”
Oh great, I thought. “I’ll… think about it.” With a weak smile, I stepped outside and closed the door, cutting off my view of her disappointed face.
“That was close,” I muttered, looking down the empty street with a sigh. Glancing down, I realized I was still in my pajamas. Shrugging, I set off at a slow walk, not wanting to go back inside and face Mami again. “Otter-print shirt, meet the world!” I cried, dramatically throwing my arms out.
“What the fuck…?”
I froze, not realizing there was someone else nearby. Without turning to see the person, I spun on my heel and launched myself into the forest lining the sidewalk. Naturally, I then tripped on a rock and fell, letting out a surprised squeak as I hit the ground. Grumbling, I picked myself up and continued walking into the woods, not really caring where I was going.
Sighing, I ran my hand through my short hair, tousling it until the ends stuck out haphazardly. “Stupid adulting,” I muttered under my breath, “Stupid!”
I wandered deeper into the forest, the sunlight fading as the trees grew taller and more twisted. I began to feel nervous. “This isn’t creepy at all,” I laughed uneasily, “totally not a place murders would hide the bodies of their victims. Definitely not!”
The wind began to pick up, sending the tall branches waving in a dull symphony of creaks and groans. The bushes around me began rustling, making me yelp and jump backwards. “It's okay! Just the wind…” I reassured myself anxiously.
A deep, guttural growl split the air, followed by a loud crack. I flinched, reaching down slowly and grabbing a heavy stick. My voice was shaky, “Okaayy, so not the wind.” Glancing around wildly, I caught a glimpse of a small object falling to the forest floor. Sucking in a breath through clenched teeth, I slowly made my way towards it, trembling.
As I got closer, the little object took form. It was a bird, small and brown with big yellow eyes. An owl.
“You scared me, owl!” I said, letting out the breath I’d been holding, relieved. I dropped the stick, crouching beside the little creature, who stared at me with big eyes but made no effort to fly away. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?” I spoke to him quietly, keeping my movements slow and cautious. Reaching out, I tried to touch the owl, pulling back when he flinched at the proximity.
“Hey, it’s okay! I won’t hurt you.” Slowly reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the granola bar, slightly squished from my fall. “Are you hungry little buddy? Here.” I broke the granola bar into little pieces, slowly placing the crumbly pile in front of the owl before drawing back and leaning back against a tree behind me.
The owl watched me for a minute, unease clear in his eyes. I sat patiently, waiting for him to make a decision. With a quiet hoot, the owl hopped forward, then began to devore the granola.
“Wow! You’re a hungry little guy, aren’t you?” I exclaimed, watching as he swallowed the last of the pile. He sat up, yellow eyes fixed on me, before slowly stepping forward, cautiously making his way forwards me, making pitiful hooting sounds all the while. “Sorry, that’s all I have,” I said regretfully, “but if you’d come with me, there’s more at home.” Hope started to rise in me as the owl appeared to consider it, before quickly falling when a snarl sounded in the bushes behind the owl, which immediately got a frantic look in his eyes and dove into my lap, hiding his face in my dirt-covered shirt.
“Mierda!” I cursed, quickly standing up and tucking my arms around the little owl to stop him from falling. Turning, I took off at a run through the trees, hoping to make it back to my home before whatever was in the woods decided that a lanky human would make a good snack. After a couple panic-filled minutes, I finally burst through the boundary of the forest, quickly slowing to a fast walk to avoid embarrassing myself again.
I glanced down at the owl; who’s head was already tilted up so that his eyes were focused on my face. I smiled at his cuteness. “You are adorable, pollito!” I squealed softly. “Don’t worry, you’re safe now. Do you want to come back with me? I have more granola bars you can eat!” He glanced at the forest, then back at me. With a small hoot, he buried his head in my shirt again, making me grin. I softly started to stroke his head my free hand, internally awwing at how soft he was. “Well, you met the right human! My name’s Luz, Luz Noceda. I’ll take care of you niño, don’t you worry! You’re gonna love my house.” I continued rambling to the little owl, who just stared up at me with wide eyes.
After a couple minutes, we arrived at my house. I shifted the owl in my arms, freeing a hand and opening the door. “Mami, I’m back!” I called, “and I brought a friend!”
“A friend?” returned my mom’s shocked voice, which instantly turned skeptical. “Not another imaginary one, is it?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, Mami. I found him in the forest, I saved him from certain doom!” I walked into the living room, where mom sat reading a book. “See?” I motioned to the little owl, “he came back with me, willingly! Isn’t he cute?”
“Aww bebe!” she cooed. Then realization struck her, and she sat up. “Luz! That’s a wild animal! You can’t just keep it as a pet.”
“But Mom!” I whined, “he’s hurt! I don’t know where, but it doesn’t seem like he can fly. Shouldn’t we take care of him?” As if to prove my point, the owl fluffed up his feathers, letting out a sad series of hoots as he stared at my mother with big, pitiful yellow eyes.
She watched him for a moment, scanning her eyes over his small form. “Ay dios mio,” she mumbled, pushing her glasses up and rubbing her eyes. “Alright, fine. He can stay until he’s better. Just… don’t get attached, okay Mija? This isn’t a permanent thing.”
I squealed, doing a happy fist-pump with my free hand. “Thank you Mami! I promise you won’t regret this!”
She chuckled, “I hope not. Now, bring him here. Let’s see if we can figure out what’s wrong with him.”
Nodding, I sat down next to her, moving my hands away from the owl so that she could see, leaving him perched uneasily on my lap, staring up at us.
“Hey there, pollito,” she said in a soft voice, “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” Reaching out a hand, she gently stroked his head.
He blinked slowly, His feathers flattening out as he relaxed. My mom gently ran her hand across his little body, frowning slightly. “Well, I don’t feel any broken bones,” she said, eyebrows furrowing as she concentrated. She gently unfolded one of his wings, letting go quickly when he flinched and yanked it from her with a pained hoot. “He probably just pulled a muscle in his wings,” she sighed, “that should heal in a week, two at most. In the meantime, he can stay here... but you’re cleaning up after him!” she added, shaking a finger at me.
“Thank you! Don’t you worry, I’ll care of everything.” Picking up the owl, I moved into the kitchen, setting him down gently on the counter. Grabbing a little container, I filled it up with water, placing it next to him. I then opened the cabinet and grabbed another granola bar, crumbling it into a little pile, pushing it in front of the owl to eat. “There you go, buddy! Now, you stay here, enjoy the granola. I’m gonna go change out of my pajamas real quick.”
Smiling at him, I turned and made my way to my room, closing my door behind me. I yawned, tired from the eventful morning. Grabbing my phone, I looked at the time, groaning. Only 10:30? Geez. I need more sleep, I thought to myself. Sighing, I took off my otter shirt and sweatpants, grimacing slightly at the dirt that covered them. Oh well, I thought, chucking them onto the floor. Moving to my dresser, I grabbed a pair of grey jeans and a white shirt, throwing them on before turning to my closet. “Ah, my old home,” I sighed wistfully, cackling a little at my bad joke. “Glad I’m not in there anymore!” I pulled out a purple, black, and white checkered flannel, putting it on as I left my room.
Entering the kitchen, my eyes immediately went to the little owl, who was sitting right where I left him, waiting for me. “Hey buddy!” I chirped, “I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. Wanna take a nap with me?”
He spread his wings a bit, letting out a small hoot. Chucking, I gently picked him up and walked into the living room, laying down on the couch and setting the bird on my stomach. I saw my mom glance at me with amusement, though she didn’t say anything and went back to reading her book. Yawning, I folded my arms behind the owl and closed my eyes, feeling little pricks from his talons as he waddled up my chest, nestling himself against my neck. I smiled, content, and drifted off to sleep to the sound of little owl snores.
SLAM
I startled, sitting up suddenly, scrambling to catch the owl as he fell.
My mom’s voice floated towards me from the front door. “Luz? I’m back!”
I laid back down, murmuring a brief apology to the owl, who’s feathers were fluffed up in surprise. After a moment, he settled back down. “Mami? You scared me. Where’d you go?”
“The grocery store. Did you not hear me, carino?” she replied, “I told you before I left.”
“No, I was asleep.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake up. “What time is it?”
She poked her head into the living room, amusement shining on her face. “It’s almost four, you’ve been asleep for hours. This is why you need a job.” She chuckled at the owl, who was still grumpy from his wake-up call. “Aw, sleepy pollito,” she cooed, taking the grocery bags into the kitchen. “I’m going to shower, then I need to head into work. Do you need me to make you something for supper?”
I groaned, “I napped for six hours? Ay dios mio... That’s okay, I’ll scrounge up something.” A sound of affirmation came from the kitchen. Yawning, I felt my eyes start to close again, and slipped back into unconsciousness.
I woke to a tap on my head, opening my eyes to see my now concerned mother standing over me. “Are you feeling alright, Mija?”
I smiled weakly, “Yeah, sorry. Just tired I guess.”
She didn’t look convinced, but smiled back anyways. “Alright. I’m off to work. Text me if you need something, and take care of our little guest,” she added, giving the owl a scratch on the head, her smile widening at the sleepy hoot she got in response.
“Bye Mami, have a good night at work.”
I lay there for a minute, hearing the front door close with a thud. Yawning, I stretched my arms over my head, looking down my chest at the little owl perched on my stomach, glaring at me. “Fine, fine. I’m getting up,” I mumbled, “You’re very demanding, pollito.” In response, he simply reached up a foot and scratched his belly. My eyes zeroed in on his foot, noticing a little indent shaped like a lilypad in the middle of it. “What’s that, buddy?” reaching out, I gently touched the indent. “It almost feels like wood…” I muttered, furrowing my brow in confusion.
The little owl hooted at me, placing his foot back down and curling his talons into my shirt, painfully catching my skin along with it. “Okay!” I exclaimed, “Alright, I’m getting up! Gee, no need for that.” I stood up, holding the innocent-looking culprit in my arms. “You’re lucky you’re so cute…”
Dimly, I heard a low knock on the front door. Ugh, people, I thought disgustedly, groaning as I made my way to the door. Looking through the peephole, I saw a nondescript man standing there awkwardly, raising his hand to knock again. Quickly, I pull the door open, making him pull bak his hand in suprise. “Hello,” I said politely, “Can I help you?”
He didn’t respond, looking at me instead with wide eyes that seemed too big for his head, the pupils merely silvers of black. His gaze dropped down to the owl cradled in my arms, and he smiled, displaying crooked, browned teeth: each longer and sharper than they should have been. My skin to crawl as revulsion trickled through me. I stepped back, quickly slamming the door, only for it to bounce back as it hit his hand. He pulled the door back open, ripping it out of my hands. His eyes bore into mine; translucent eyelids came in from the side, like a snake’s, and closing with a little shink.
I tried to scream, tried to run, but my muscles were frozen in place, caught in a trap set by the man’s eyes. No, not a man, I realized, a thing. A monster. His grin elongated. Literally. His cheeks split open, the now loose flaps of skin swaying lightly as teeth protruded up from them, growing longer and longer until they could have been mistaken for fingers. Very sharp fingers. His ears then grew as well; becoming at least a foot long and pointed, the skin stretching until I could see the outline of the cartilage beneath it, until I could watch the blood rush to fill the new lengths of veins.
I was horrified, my mind frozen on Holy Shit! and unable to think through my terror. I felt a small weight land on my shoulder and flinched when the owl’s beak dug into my cheek. And suddenly I was free. I fumbled, grasping for the baseball bast my mom insisted we keep at the door, finally grabbing it and slamming it as hard as I could into the thing’s misshapen skull, snapping its head to the side and causing it to stumble back and fall, tripping over its growing tail, a horrifying length of stretched skin and vertebrae; lacking any fur or hair to disguise it.
The owl yanked on my ear, pulling me out of my shock. I pulled the door closed and took off at a run for the forest, knowing the house wouldn’t be safe. Reaching the trees, I continued at a breakneck pace down an overgrown deer trail, trying not to fall and literally break my neck. After what felt like hours, I burst out into a clearing, immediately slowing to a stop and hurling, my stomach trying to reject the memories of its transformation. The owl hopped off my shoulder with a disgusted hoot!, opting instead to perch in a bush next to me, soothing little sounds coming from his throat.
Shaking, I slowly stood upright; my lungs burning and my legs trembling with fatigue. I looked around unsteadily, my panicked gaze darting around the clearing, searching for any sign of the monster. I sighed in relief. “That was a close call, wasn’t it pollito,” I huffed through my labored breathing, turning to the bush where he had been perched, only for it to be vacant. I froze, glancing around wildly before finally spotting him waddling away towards the edge of the clearing, towards… “a house?” I said in disbelief. “How did I miss that?” Shaking my head, I jogged tiredly after the pesky bird, catching up quickly and scooping him off the ground.
“Where are you going pollito?” I asked him in bewilderment. The owl turned his head towards the ruined house, hooting at me. “Alright,” I sighed, “but I hope you know where you’re going.” I took off at a slow jog, groaning as my muscles protested the movement.
As we neared the house, the owl started struggling in my arms, causing me to come to a stop. “What’s wrong?” I asked the little bird, loosening my grip. Immediately, he sprang out of my hold, alighting on the grass and waddling his way towards a bush, disappearing for a moment. “Come on buddy,” I said anxiously, looking around, “we can’t stay here for too long. Don’t want that thing to catch up with us.”
The bush started shaking, and I watched in disbelief as he dragged out a cloth sack, which he dropped to the ground at my feet. “What’s this?” I muttered curiously, kneeling down and opening it. The owl hopped onto my shoulder, watching. My confusion grew as I pulled out an old teapot, quickly followed by a teddy bear, a baseball glove, and other weird objects. I glanced at the owl on my shoulder in bewilderment. “Why do you have a bag of junk?” He merely gave me a hoot in response and looked down at the bag pointedly. Groaning, I tipped it upside down and watched the items inside come cascading out of it, wincing at the noise it made. At last, the bag was empty, and I tossed it to the side to inspect the stuff in front of me. The owl let out another little hoot, hopping down from my shoulder and onto the pile, using his feet to throw items to the side. A distant roar sounded from the direction I figured my house was in. I gulped, “Hey, you think you could hurry it up a bit?” The owl merely glanced at me before going back to work.
I sat down, nervously tapping my fingers against my knees as I look around. After a minute, there was a tap on my shoe. I looked down at the owl, who had a dusty brown key clutched in one of his feet. He gracelessly hopped onto my knee, landing awkwardly due to the key. Reaching out, I took the offered key; it was wooden and oddly shaped, having two curved prongs sticking out on one side, and an intricate design at the base. I turned it over, inhaling sharply in shock when I noticed a big, yellow eye in the base. “Wow. That’s really cool,” I whispered. Then, it blinked.
“Gah!” I dropped the key in my surprise. It landed eye-up, the thin pupil starng at me accusingly. The owl glared at me, telling me to pick it back up. So, I did. This time, I studied it closely, reveling at the detail carved in the wooden key. Hesitantly, I touched the eye, finding it to be cool and dry, giving a little beneath my finger. Curiously, I put more pressure on it, causing the eye to fully recede into the key. Nothing happened. I moved my finger off it, disappointed.
As soon as my finger left the surface of it, the eye turned a searing white. I winced, dropping the key in favor of putting my hands over my eyes, trying to block out the bright, blinding light. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the light faded. Cracking my fingers open, I peeked out cautiously, my jaw dropping at what was now in front of me.
“Ay dios mio…” I gasped breathlessly, staring. Instead of there being a key on the ground, there was now a whole door, which was even more intricate than the key, though with the same big, yellow eye at its center, although much bigger now. The eye blinked at me again, then the doorhandle turned on its own, opening to bright, white nothingness.
The owl hopped off my knee, waddling towards the door. I stood shakily, bringing my hands up to my chest, unsure of what to do. “H-hey! What’s through there?” I asked the little owl desperately. He stopped right at the threshold, looking back at me, then stepped through the door with a hoot. I stumbled forward in a vain effort to stop him, coming to a halt once I realized he was gone.
I stood there, indecisive. The light was warm, as if encouraging me to step through. “Hmmm. Terrifying monster or unknown portal?” I pondered, my voice shaking. Then the sound of cracking branches reached me. A few hundred feet away, the monster burst through the edge of the clearing, snarling ferociously once it spotted me, hurling itself on thickened limbs towards me. I yelped, “Portal! Definitely portal!” I jumped through, landing in a forest much wilder than the one I left. Turning sharply, I quickly pulled the door closed behind me. As soon as the handle clicked home, the door folded in on itself, shrinking back down into the key. Grabbing it off the ground, I shoved it in my pocket and stood up, looking around in bewilderment. “Owl? Are you here, pollito?” I called out hesitantly.
Hoot!
I turned, seeing the little owl on the ground a few feet away. Bending down, I scooped him up and held him against my chest. “Oh. You scared me,” I sighed, “Sooo, where are we? And how do we get out of this forest?” I glanced at the owl, who’s head was turned towards a path heading off to my right. “Ah, okay,” I murmured, and set of down it. After what must have been thirty minutes of walking, I suddenly burst from the trees, my jaw dropping at the sight in front of me. “Oh, holy fuck.”